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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. wake — a trail
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a committee
  11. track — a song
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. track — a path
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wind — moving air
  24. board — a flat piece

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com